Personal watercraft

ABSTRACT

The benefits of a sporty and maneuverable personal watercraft and those of a larger sport boat, having the ability to accommodate a large number of riders, are combined into a single watercraft. The watercraft is equipped with a rear sundeck large enough for passengers to sun bathe while the watercraft is stationary. Disposed beneath the sundeck are storage compartments, each having a lip-less seal for preventing the ingress of water into the compartments. Additionally, the storage compartments are large enough to store a variety of items and accessories such as food, clothes, and first-aid materials. The watercraft is designed such that a relationship between the position of its center of gravity and the position of its center of buoyancy, prevents the watercraft from tipping over even when three of four adults of average size simultaneously board the watercraft from the same side.

[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional PatentApplication Ser. No. 60/207,238, which was filed on May 26, 2000. ThatProvisional Application is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] 1. Field of the Invention

[0003] This invention relates to watercraft and more particularly tofeatures for personal watercraft.

[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art

[0005] Various types of watercraft exist, each being suited fordifferent types of activities. The term personal watercraft generallyrefers to a sporty, jet-propelled watercraft capable of accommodating adriver and, in some instances, two or three passengers. One advantage ofa personal watercraft is its maneuverability. A typical watercraft, forexample, is capable of making relatively tight turns on the water, andis capable of achieving relatively high speeds.

[0006] A characteristic that makes a personal watercraft capable ofachieving this kind of maneuverability and speed is its small size andshape which permit it to be ridden like a motorcycle.

[0007] A typical personal watercraft provides a small hull defining anengine compartment below a seating area. Because they are usually smalland compact, personal watercraft generally are limited in storage spaceand in the number of passengers they can accommodate.

[0008] Larger sport boats, on the other hand, can provide significantstorage space and accommodate greater numbers of passengers. However,larger sport boats do so at the expense of sportiness andmaneuverability.

[0009] Therefore, personal watercraft and larger sport boats satisfydifferent goals. Personal watercraft are designed for speed, nimbleness,and maneuverability. Large sport boats do not focus on these attributes.Instead, they excel at storage and passenger space. These two attributeshave not, heretofore, been combined into a single boat, especially ofthe type described herein.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Thus, it is an object of the present invention to provide awatercraft, which combines the speed, maneuverability, and personalconvenience of a personal watercraft with the roominess, storagecapability, and size of a larger sport boat.

[0011] A watercraft, according to the present invention, includes apowered hull and at least one compartment integrally formed within thehull, the compartment being adapted for storage and having an openingthereinto defined by a planar surface.

[0012] The watercraft includes a powered hull, a deck attached to thehull defining a central area on which a straddle-type seat is disposedand at least one storage compartment disposed at a stem of thewatercraft and being accessible through an opening in the deck. Thewatercraft also includes at least one deck section mounted to the deckand being moveable between a closed position where the compartment iscovered and an open position where the compartment is accessible,wherein, when in the closed position, a top surface of the at least onedeck section defines a sun deck area.

[0013] Finally, according to the present invention, the planar sealresiliently engages the planar surface when the compartment is closed toprevent the ingress of water into the compartment.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in andconstitute a part of the specification, illustrate embodiments of theinvention and, together with the general description given above and thedetailed description of the embodiments given below, serve to explainthe principles of the invention.

[0015]FIG. 1 is a top view of the watercraft of the present inventionfrom a rear perspective;

[0016]FIG. 2 is a side perspective view of the of the watercraft of thepresent invention, illustrating grab handles provided at the rearthereof;

[0017]FIG. 3 is a partial rear perspective view of the watercraft of thepresent invention, showing one storage compartment therein;

[0018]FIG. 4 is a partial side view of the layout of the sundeck of thewatercraft of the present invention, illustrating the location of theresilient seal thereunder;

[0019]FIG. 5 is a perspective top view of a the watercraft of thepresent invention;

[0020]FIG. 6 is a schematic side view of the watercraft of the presentinvention, illustrating the relationship between the position of thecenter of gravity and the position of the center of buoyancy;

[0021]FIG. 7 is a schematic front view of the watercraft of the presentinvention, showing the relationship between the position of the centerof gravity and the position of the center of buoyancy; and

[0022]FIG. 8 is a drawing defining a standard person.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0023] Incorporated herein by reference is the Sea-Doo® Watercraft partscatalog 2000 for the 5688 LRV Watercraft.

[0024]FIG. 1 is a top view of the improved personal watercraft (2) ofthe present invention. The watercraft (2) includes at least a stem (22),a port side (24), and a starboard side (26). The basic structure for thewatercraft (2) is divided into the hull (4), or lower portion, and thedeck (3), or upper portion, that are connected to one another. The hull(4) and deck (3) define a housing for an engine and propulsion system(not shown). Integrally formed within the watercraft (2) are storagecompartments (6 a) and (6 b), which are positioned respectively on thestarboard side (26) and port side (24) of watercraft (2). In addition,the deck (3) forms a substantially vertical rear wall surface (28) atthe stem (22), which includes a top portion (28 a) and a bottom portion(28 b).

[0025]FIG. 2 illustrates an entirely new feature for this class ofwatercraft, a sundeck (12). In an exemplary embodiment, the sundeck (12)is a padded area for lounging and relaxing. The sundeck (12) providesriders with alternative seating and an area on which to sun bathe, orremain seated, but not necessarily in a straddle-type position at therear of the watercraft (2) while the engine is stopped and thewatercraft is not moving. In addition, sun deck (12) provides a platformfrom which a rider may participate in a wide variety of aquaticactivities. The sundeck (12) may have a number of different sectionssuch as section (12 a), positioned on the starboard side of thewatercraft (2), and section (12 b) positioned on the port side of thewatercraft (2). Each section (12 a) and (12 b) is mounted onto the hull(4) by hinges (14). The hinges (14) permit the sections (12 a) and (12b) to be selectively moved between a first open position (16), shown InFIG. 1, and a second closed position (18), shown in FIG. 2.Alternatively, the sun deck (12) could be mounted on the deck (3)without storage compartments (6 a) and (6 b). Also, the sun deck (12)could be positioned any where on the watercraft (2).

[0026] Each section (12 a) and (12 b) also acts as a cover forrespective storage compartments (6 a) and (6 b), which may be used tostore a variety of items and accessories such as food, clothes, firstaid materials, skis, wake boards, emergency paddles, and/or a tent forweekend activities, for example. The storage compartments (6 a) and (6b) respectively include openings (8 a) and (8 b), which provide accessto the compartments (6 a) and (6 b). In prior art sport boats, the areaaround any access opening into the hull is provided with a lip toprevent the ingress of water. However, such an arrangement is notnecessary on the improved personal watercraft (2) of the presentinvention, as discussed in detail below.

[0027] A lower grab handle (30), which is attached to the rear wallsurface (28) of the watercraft (2) is provided. Additionally, an uppergrab handle (32), attached to the deck (3), is positioned above thelower grab handle (30). By holding on to the lower and upper grabhandles (30) and (32), and using rear deck (31) as a boarding platform,a person may board the watercraft (2) from the water at the stem (22)position. The lower and upper grab handles (30) and (32) provide agraduated access onto the watercraft (2).

[0028]FIG. 2 further illustrates that when the sundeck (12) is in theclosed position (18), the lower grab handle (30) is positioned belowrear sections (12 a′) and (12 b′) of the sundeck (12). The upper grabhandle (32) is positioned between a seat (34) and the sundeck (12). Theseat (34), which is disposed longitudinally along a central area (35) ofthe deck (3) and which provides a straddle-type configuration, providesseating for a driver of the watercraft (2) and three or more passengers.The sundeck (12) is disposed rearwardly (36) of the seat (34) in orderto optimize passenger space on the watercraft (2). Additionally, whenthe sun deck sections (12 a) and (12 b) are in the closed position (18),respective top portions (12 a″) and (12 b″) form a substantially flatsurface (12 c), also shown in FIG. 4. The flat surface (12 c) permitsthe driver and passenger to comfortably sit or sun bathe while thewatercraft (2) is stationary.

[0029] As illustrated more clearly in FIG. 3, each compartment opening,for example opening (8 a) of compartment (6 a), has a planar surface(10) therearound. The planar surface (10) provides a tight seal with forthe corresponding sundeck section (12 a), which acts as a storage coverfor the storage compartment (6 a). As shown, sundeck section (12 a)includes a bottom portion (13) which includes a seal (20), formed andshaped to match the shape of the planar surface (10). When the sundecksection (12 a) is switched from the open position (16) to the closedposition (18), the seal (20) resiliently engages the planar surface(10), thus forming a tight seal (11), illustrated in FIG. 4. This tightseal (11) prevents the ingress of water into the storage compartment (6a). In the prior art, the ingress of water is prevented by providing thestorage compartment opening with a lip, with which the compartment covermay mate. The planar seal approach of the present application, however,can operate with or without a lip, thus providing for a less complicatedconstruction.

[0030]FIG. 5 illustrates respective port side (24) and starboard side(26) gunwales, (40) and (42), which permit a person to board thewatercraft (2) from each of the respective sides.

[0031] Watercraft in the prior art have been prone to tip over when arelatively large amount of weight is placed on only one of the gunwales.Such a situation could occur, for example, when more than one persontries to board the watercraft (2) from the same side at the same time.In the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, however, thelateral static stability of the watercraft has been greatly improved.

[0032] As shown in FIG. 6, and as generally understood by one skilled inthe art of watercraft buoyancy, in order for any body or system,immersed in water, to float so that it is level with the water, itscenter of gravity must be aligned with its center of buoyancy. Thecenter of gravity is the point in a body or system, around which itsmass or weight is evenly distributed and through which a line of force,exerted by the earth's gravitational force, will pass. When an immersedbody floats, it displaces a corresponding volume of water. The center ofgravity of this displaced volume of water is defined as the center ofbuoyancy of the immersed body. In order for the immersed body to floaton a level plane, its center of buoyancy must be aligned with its centerof gravity.

[0033] Thus, as illustrated in FIG. 6, in order for the watercraft (2)to remain afloat in water (38) when being boarded by passengers, itscenter of gravity (46) must remain substantially aligned (48) with itscenter of buoyancy (44), which is positioned vertically lower than thecenter of gravity (46). If substantial misalignment of the metacentricstability occurs due to an inordinate amount of weight, the watercraft(2) will simply tip over (50), toward the side from which it is beingboarded, as illustrated in FIG. 7.

[0034] However, in the present invention, Applicant's have found throughexperimentation that by decreasing the distance (x) between the centerof gravity (46) and the center of buoyancy (44), lateral stability isgreatly enhanced. That is, as the distance (x) decreases, the amount ofweight, applied to either one of the gunwales (40) or (42), required totip-over the watercraft (2), increases. Designed in accordance with thisprinciple, a watercraft will be less likely to tip over, even when therated number of people for that watercraft attempt to simultaneouslyboard the watercraft from the same gunwale.

[0035] It should be noted that each watercraft is “rated” for (orapproved for use with) a specific number of persons. The watercraft (2)of the present invention is rated for up to four passengers. With thelateral stability designed into this vehicle as described above, threeor four adults of average size simultaneously may attempt to board thewatercraft (2) from the same gunwale without the vehicle tipping over.An adult of average size is defined as an adult having a weight of atleast 175 pounds. Appended herein as FIG. 8 is a drawing defining thedimensions of such a standard person. The stability features describedherein conform to the standards for vessel stability, as defined in theAmerican Society for Testing and Materials publication F 1321-92, whichis incorporated herein by reference.

[0036] The lateral stability of the watercraft (2) is also enhanced bythe hour-glass shape thereof. As shown in FIG. 1, outwardly extendingsections (102, 104, 106, 108) of the hull (4) and deck (3) provideadditional areas that extend from a longitudinal line of the watercraft(2). These outwardly extending sections (102, 104, 106, 108) provideadditional buoyant areas at positions outwardly further from thelongitudinal centerline of the watercraft (2) than prior art watercraftof this type. The additional lateral buoyancy that these sections (102,104, 106, 108) provide further enhances the lateral stability of thewatercraft (2).

[0037] From the invention thus described, it will be obvious that theinvention may be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to beregarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention, andall such modifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art areintended for inclusion within the scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A watercraft comprising: a powered hull; a deck attached to the hull defining a central area on which a straddle-type seat is disposed; at least one storage compartment disposed at a stem of the watercraft and being accessible through an opening in the deck; and at least one section mounted to the deck and being moveable between a closed position where the compartment is covered and an open position where the compartment is accessible; wherein, when in the closed position, a top surface of the at least one section defines a sun deck area.
 2. The watercraft of claim 1 , wherein the at least one section is a padded area configured for lounging and relaxing.
 3. The watercraft of claim 1 , wherein the at least one storage compartment comprises two storage compartments disposed side-by-side.
 4. The watercraft of claim 1 , wherein the at least one storage compartment comprises two storage compartments disposed side-by-side, and wherein the at least one section comprises two sections disposed side-by-side, one for each of the compartments.
 5. The watercraft of claim 4 , wherein, when in the closed position, the two sections define a sundeck area extending transverse to the seat and perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the seat.
 6. A watercraft comprising: a powered hull; a deck attached to the hull defining a central area on which a straddle-type seat is disposed; and a sun deck disposed at a stem of the watercraft.
 7. The watercraft of claim 6 , wherein the sundeck is padded.
 8. The watercraft of claim 7 , wherein the sun deck extends transverse to the seat and perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the seat.
 9. A watercraft comprising: a powered hull; a deck attached to the hull defining a central area on which a straddle-type seat is disposed; at least one storage compartment disposed in the watercraft and being accessible through an opening in the deck; at least one section mounted to the deck and being moveable between a closed position where the compartment is covered and an open position where the compartment is accessible; a planar surface on the deck around the opening to the at least one storage compartment; and a seal attached to one of (i) an underside of the at least one section and (ii) the planar surface; wherein the seal, when the at least one section is in the closed position, (i) engages the planar surface and the underside of the at least one section, and (ii) surrounds the opening to deter ingress of water into the at least one compartment.
 10. The watercraft of claim 9 , wherein the at least one storage compartment is located at a stem of the watercraft and a top surface of the at least one section provides a sun deck area.
 11. The watercraft of claim 9 , wherein the planar surface is lip-less.
 12. The watercraft of claim 9 , wherein the seal is elastomeric.
 13. The watercraft of claim 9 , wherein, when in the closed position, a top surface of the at least one section defines a sun deck area.
 14. A watercraft comprising: a powered hull; a deck attached to the hull defining a central area onto which a straddle-type seat is disposed; a sun deck area disposed at a stern of the watercraft; a section disposed downwardly from the sun deck area to a rear deck; a first grab handle disposed on the section between the sundeck and the rear deck; and a second grab handle disposed between the seat and the sun deck; wherein the first and second grab handles provide graduated access to the watercraft from the water.
 15. A watercraft comprising: a powered hull; a deck attached to the hull defining a central area onto which a straddle-type seat is disposed; a sun deck area disposed at a stern of the watercraft; a section disposed downwardly from the sun deck area to a rear deck; and a number of grab handles disposed on the section between the sundeck and the rear deck; wherein the number of grab handles provide graduated access to the watercraft from the water.
 16. The watercraft of claim 15 , wherein one of the number of grab handles is positioned above the sun deck and another of the number of grab handles is positioned below the sun deck.
 17. A watercraft for partial immersion in water, the watercraft comprising: a powered hull including port side and starboard side gunwales, each gunwale being adapted for accommodating boarding of the watercraft from a respective port and starboard side of the watercraft; wherein the watercraft includes a center of buoyancy and a center of gravity; and wherein a relationship between the center of buoyancy and the center of gravity is such that a plurality of averaged sized persons can simultaneously board the watercraft from a same gunwale without tipping over the watercraft.
 18. A watercraft according to claim 17 , wherein the plurality of averaged sized persons is two people.
 19. A watercraft according to claim 17 , wherein the plurality of averaged sized persons is at least three persons.
 20. A watercraft according to claim 17 , wherein the plurality of averaged sized persons is at least four persons.
 21. A watercraft according to claim 17 , wherein the plurality of averaged sized persons is the number of persons for which the watercraft is rated.
 22. A watercraft according to claim 17 , wherein the relationship is defined by an alignment between the center of buoyancy and the center of gravity.
 23. A watercraft, comprising: a powered hull; a deck attached to the hull defining a central area on which a straddle-type seat is disposed; and a plurality of grab handles affixed to the deck. 